Monthly Archives: December 2013

This Dj Documentary is called – Scratch. Digging in the crates is a term used to describe how Dj’s and producers look though massive amounts of records to find rare beat breaks and sample tracks. Whether it’s for use in the production of a new track or just to add to their personal collection, having this professional knowledge of recordings “only makes good Dj’s better.” Today a lot of these records have been neatly catalogued on YouTube but there has to be millions of vinyl records out there still waiting to see the light of day. This documentary starts to look like an episode from hoarders but it’s interesting to note how humbling it can be to the aspiring musician. The documentary features legendary DJs Shadow and Dj Jazzy J (from South Carolina). Dj Jazzy J is the DJ for Afrika Bambaataa and the Universal Zulu Nation. They’re among the original pioneers of the music and art. Check out the full documentary available online. Props to the Dj’s who put in a tremendous amount of time and hard work digging through piles of recordings to find that rare piece of artwork.

When the big cities think of North Carolina some may think it’s a dead zone for anything relating to art and culture. However, this video shows that the elements of Hip-Hop are still alive in the inner cities as we move into the future. It may not be the entire theme of the new era but the foundation of the culture still stands firm. This is Carolina’s House Party Classic’s out in Raleigh, NC who have an event every first Friday of every month. It reminds me of the Monday Night Mic Fights and Knocturnal events that are held here in Charlotte. We think it’s inspirational for up and coming Hip-Hop artists to know that these elements are alive not just in North Carolina, but in every urban community. Shout out to everyone who continues to encourage this creative process uniting their respective communities in the culture that we call Hip-Hop.

There is a lot of talk about Google’s recent purchase of Boston Dynamics. It’s a military robotics company and some are saying that Google has some hidden agenda. Scare tactics have always been a way for the media to spark the masses attention for the quick rating, so we don’t think that there is any hidden agenda here. Instead simply the agenda is what it has always been, and that is competition with the giant electronics company known as JAPAN. In this video check out ASIMO Japans latest robot compared to Boston Dynamics PETMAN now owned by Google. Boston Dynamics has a whole arsenal of other robots like CHEETA the fastest running robot and RHex the all terrain “creepy” rodent looking robot. There is also a long list of other competitive robotics categories. If I know Google this whole robot thing is about to be taken to a whole new level. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. If you like this article please hit the like button for support. Thank you and have a nice day!

“In 2013, our economy grew, and our deficit shrunk. For the first time in almost two decades, we said that we’re producing more oil at home than we buy from the rest of the world. We honored our heroes. We bounced back from national tragedies and natural disasters. We strengthened our relationships with allies around the world and took action to promote the American dream at home. Take a look at our 2013 year in review.”
View the whole year :

Today the lyrics in popular rap songs are supposedly based off of real life experiences (cough), and admittedly a lot of it is negative. In this video it shows how rap can be used as a positive force to help kids learn. Isn’t it funny to see kids struggle with their grades in school but can somehow recite every word of the latest rap song without missing a beat? I believe that this is the true intent for Hip-Hop, to sing songs and learn from each other’s knowledge and real experience in a fun and creative way. KRS-1 said it best “Rappers create rhymes that are mostly illegal while MC create rhymes to uplift the people”.

Kids in this program are attending school more often, getting better grades and aspiring to be more. Not for nothing but the majority of the new music out there is just misguiding. It has no culture, no knowledge and is driven to whatever popular trend is created and supported by major corporations (weather you want to believe it or not) that lack creativity. No I’m never hating, I listen to any artist that makes real music representing a real place. However, if this concept spreads then there is the possibility of bringing that light back into hip-hop and cultivating the next generation by taking steps to move it in the right direction.

Since we are reppin Carolina let’s talk about the Charlotte Hornets. This past Saturday during halftime after the game against the Jazz at the Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte unveiled the new Hornets logo and colors. What do you’ll think?

Some have defined MC as MIC Controller or Master of Ceremony, but I tend to agree with Rakims definition of MC and that is to “Move the Crowd”. In the early days of Hip-Hop most thought moving the crowd meant to entertain the crowd at a party or live event. That is only partially true and if you look closely at the video for Move the Crowd you understood what it really means. You may also understand how today with the spread of globalization in modern society the term takes that initial definition to another level. How do you move masses of people to a particular product, event or idea?

This is not to take away from the science of lyricism. With Rakims Tribute to Nelson Mandela he told the Icons life story in a rhyme. It’s is an inspirational work of art and to me means a lot more than a simple RIP Mandela, which I could not bring myself to post on may page because it did not say what I wanted to say. The tribute song was something I thought was powerful and worthy of Mandelas character and accomplishments. That is timeless and the reason why Rakim is still one of my favorite artists.

Traditionally musicians have been used to market just about everything due to their influence. So with that being said the best MC’s are the ones that have the most influence to get people to subscribe to their original idea. Some may interpret that as saying that as an artist you need to be commercial. However, on the contrary I am saying simply that the best MC’s understand business and the affect they have on consumers. That is not to say that you follow the trends to identify with large groups of people but rather it means to create your own trend and have masses of people following them. Now here lies the problem; if a trend is set that an MC does not agree with does he follow it anyway or go against the grain? The art of MC-ing has always been about being different so a real MC does not follow any trend they create new ones. That would be the first lesson to any aspiring artist “originality”.

A German music label called Kontor Records developed this new approach to pitching music in a retro-futuristic manner. Their goal was simply to grab the attention of agency directors and executives to get a chance to get their promotional music heard. To do so the label developed something they are calling Back To Vinyl “The Office Turntable”. According to them the approach increased targeted listener responses by 64%.

This is great for Classic DJ’s and Vinyl collectors alike, they can now play their records with their cell phone! I know I have a bunch of Vinyl records sitting around that I’m holding on to as if it were Google stock but this will allow me to digitally listen to the records and not worry about damaging them. Awesome new technology and marketing don’t you think?

Anthony Hamilton gets alot of props in the Carolinas. Some say he was on the grind for years before he actually got his shot at the big time. One thing to remember is that success does not happen overnight and it takes allot of hard work. Anthony Hamilton is Carolinas’ proof that the struggle is real and can happen with hard work, dedication and perseverance. Aside from that he is definitely one of our favorite R & B artists. We have been rocking with him since the first CD. Check him out on New Year’s Eve at Vanity Nightclub here in Charlotte, NC.